OVERVIEW
The content of the Video Game Console Library is written by a group of gaming enthusiasts that, as a whole,
collectively own every main console that has ever been released. Our goal is to provide an objective viewpoint
and information on the hardware that powers the games we all love, for both the hardware collector and gamer alike.
(Read more...)

1970s - HISTORY & OVERVIEW
The 1970s marked the beginning of home video gaming as we know it today. Ralph Baer, uniformly known as the father
of the video game console, created and developed the infamous Brown Box, which would later become the revolutionary
Magnavox Odyssey. Few could honestly admit that this humble beginning would result in the multi-billion dollar
market of today. (Read more...)

1980s - HISTORY & OVERVIEW
The 1970s may have been the beginning of home video gaming as we know it. However, it was the 1980s that saw the
premature death of the industry and its phoenix-like rise from the ashes. Atari became synonymous with home video
gaming, but newcomers like Sega and Nintendo quickly proved to not only be a threat but to reinvent the industry as we
know it. (Read more...)

1990s - HISTORY & OVERVIEW
While Sega and Nintendo carved up the market neatly between them early on, companies like NEC looked to expand their
influence while new entries by SNK, Philips and 3DO decided to ride the bleeding edge of new technology and
multifunctional hardware in order to grab a slice of that pie for themselves. Other companies, like Atari and
Commodore, simply tried to hold on. (Read more...)

2000s - HISTORY & OVERVIEW
In March of 2000, Sony kicked off the new millennium by releasing the PlayStation 2 which would be shortly followed
thereafter by Nintendo's GameCube console and newcomer Microsoft's Xbox. With this
new generation of hardware, developers would change gaming's importance in pop culture as well as
telecommunications and entertainment. (Read more...)

2010s - NOTES
With the new decade starting off, cloud gaming has begun to take a foothold within the gamer's living room.
OnLive released their MicroConsole in December of 2010 with rumors of similar streaming devices surfacing on a weekly
basis. The door may be opening as well for independent developers with the release of consoles focused on
providing an open gaming environment like the OUYA.

CONNECTING YOUR GAME SYSTEMS
Regardless if you have an old school 19" CRT or a brand spanking new 3D HDTV, connecting your video game system can sometimes be a daunting
task. The myriad of connection types, cords and switches can be overwhelming, even to the most savvy of aficionados. This
article will guide you through this process to produce the best presentation on your NTSC display device.
(Read more...)

CONSOLE CREWCAST BLOG INDEX
You have stumbled upon our little corner of the video gaming universe where you will find a variety of articles on all facets of the
industry. From software reviews to gaming literature to the various rants that keep us sane, you get a taste of it all.
Please select an article category from the above list or check out our most recent additions listed from our Blog Index. Please enjoy!! (Blog Index...)

A start-up company called Indrema promises to release a new gaming console in 2001. Using a Linux operating system, the Indrema L600
will play games, DVDs, and CDs and it will even record TV shows on its hard drive.

A man by the name of John Gildred decided to found a consumer electronics start-up. Gildred was a fan of Open Source software. Apparently he thought it would be great if people could design and improve their own video games, and maybe download them off the Web. So Gildred, backed by a few friends and generous investors, plus the credit line of his charge cards and the content of his savings
account, went out to perform in the marketplace. He started his new company, and focused on its product called Indrema. It was going
to be an "Open Source" system designed to be a game machine, DVD player, Internet appliance and digital video recorder.

The Indrema Entertainment System (a.k.a. L600) was to be based on common hardware (x86-style CPU, DVD drive, hard disk drive, Nvidia
graphics chip, USB ports and Ethernet connector), and the Open Source operating system, DV Linux. DV Linux is an Open Source
distribution of the Linux operating system specifically designed for consumer electronics or digital multimedia applications targeted
at the television as the default view port. Indrema partnered up with Red Hat to initially manage the development of the DV Linux
Distribution.

John Gildred, Creator of the Indrema L600

The first Indrema console, the L600, was planned to initially ship in Spring 2001. It was to cost approximately $300. The Indrema
Entertainment System would have also been the first modern game console to allow free software to be developed for it, and made
available widely via Internet. However, this impressive machine never saw the light of day. The company ran out of money and was
unable to secure additional financing in a capital market that seemed to have grown hostile to Linux-related business. The demands of
the hardware market took their toll on the small California based company as it had done to even bigger companies such as Sega (Sega
left the hardware market after the Dreamcast). Nvidia sought more prosperous grounds with the Microsoft Xbox. Being an "Open Source"
system most likely contributed to the consoles demise. If software could be distributed for free then there could be no money made by
the company with licensing fees. The units would be sold at a loss. Software developers would have difficulty selling software since
users would prefer freely distributed games. Without strong software developer support, they had no hopes of competing with the
established Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft companies.

In 2002, Indrema closed its doors to the hardware market. Its founder, John Gildred, still pursues the dream of making the console a
reality. For now it remains a dream.

Prototype pictures of the Indrema L600 console

SPECS & MANUALS For the hardware enthusiasts out there - all the detail you\we love.